Serviceplan’s Christmas message for Penny is a German hit

December 28, 2018

The annual Christmas spending spree wasn’t exactly a spree in Australian this year. Retail spending was down as families reined in spending to manage mortgages, energy costs and a bit of a downbeat attitude to their finances. It could be that a lot of everyday German people are feeling less than buoyant about money right now. Although Germany is one of the wealthiest countries in Europe, there is rising poverty despite economic growth. Serviceplan has certainly captured German hearts with its film for discount supermarket chain, Penny. It’s the story of a single mother trying to manage in very difficult financial circumstances.

More than 22 million Germans have watched the film whose message is that Christmas Doesn’t Need Much, Only Love, nearly 15 million of those views on YouTube alone. The film has now been released globally.

It’s the story of a single mother trying to manage in very difficult financial circumstances. She can’t make her son’s wishes come true because she doesn’t have enough money but uses creative ingenuity to give him Christmas joy. Helping the emotive power of the film, a mix of live action and 3D animation, is Elton John’s Your Song, sung by Josephine van Schaik.

Serviceplan executive creative director, Christoph Everke,commented, “The film and its soundtrack express exactly what people in Germany are experiencing every day. They are getting by with limited resources and their successes are often down to the fact that they are stronger than people who have never had to struggle. The film is an homage to these tough people who do their utmost every day to care for their family.”

Studies suggest that this year in Germany, Christmas is forecast to cost each household an average of 476 EURO in total. However, Penny is using this year’s Christmas campaign to show that you don’t actually need to spend that much on a great Christmas, with the motto, Christmas Doesn’t Need Much, Only Love.”

The film reaches beyond the film. Penny is helping its customers to make their children’s apparently unachievable wishes come true. On the campaign website, penny.de/nurliebe, children could chat to the polar bear who features in the film and tell him their deepest wishes. As well as having many of their wishes come true, parents could look forward to winning a craft set that they can use to make homemade Christmas presents. 2,500 kits were produced to enable people to knit their own teddy bear for Christmas. Customers were able to win the knits by taking part in an online lottery.

Stefan Magel, executive board member retail Germany at the REWE Group and chief operating officer of Penny, stated that is an extremely important step because “as a discount supermarket at the centre of its customers’ lives, Penny wants to enable all of its customers to have a great Christmas. As well as good-value offers, for us this involves dialogue with customers. It is only when we really understand people’s requirements that a campaign can be more than an empty advertising promise. Only then can it become part of our customers’ daily reality and really ring true.”

Three documentary films were produced to support the campaign extension: